YouTube Premium is a great way to get rid of those annoying ads on YouTube, but it’s also pretty expensive. For those not interested in the other YouTube Premium features, such as offline downloads and YouTube Music, then YouTube Premium Lite was a great option. Google began testing the cheaper plan in 2021 in a few European countries, eschewing those extras in favor of just the ad-blocking experience. Unfortunately, Google has decided to cancel YouTube Premium Lite even before it can spread its wings.

YouTube warned subscribers in an email seen by The Verge that the Premium Lite tier would be phased out after October 25. Premium Lite is a stripped-down version of YouTube Premium that only offers ad-free viewing in a few countries in Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) for €6.99 per month.

Many Premium Lite subscribers were bummed to hear that the service was being discontinued. Many of them took to this ResetEra forum page to voice their disappointment at Google’s decision.

If you’re a current Premium Lite subscriber, you’ll have to switch to YouTube Premium or find another way to watch YouTube videos without ads, at least for the time being. YouTube promised to continue working on variations of Premium Lite based on input from consumers, suggesting that a cheaper ad-free plan is still in the cards, though it’s uncertain when it’ll be ready.

Meanwhile, the email notification stated that YouTube is giving all Premium Lite subscribers a free month of YouTube Premium, even if they’ve already had a free trial before. But they will need to cancel their Premium Lite subscription before they can start their free YouTube Premium trial.

It’s interesting to think about how Google might price its future Premium Lite replacement. Currently, YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month, following its price increase in July. However, subscribers can save $27.89 by signing up for the annual plan, which costs $139.99, a $20 increase over the previous annual fee. Late last year, a massive price increase for family plans went into effect for users in the United States and Canada, bringing the cost of YouTube Premium family plans to $22.99 per month, a $5 increase.

Google is known for its many products and services, but it also has a history of killing off products that aren’t popular or don’t meet its expectations. Premium Lite is just the latest in a long line of Google services to get the boot. In March, Google Travel’s trip summaries were also discontinued, leaving users with the sole option of emailing their past and future itineraries to themselves.

More recently, Google finally discontinued Grasshopper, an app that taught new coders how to get started. Grasshopper was initially released in 2017, and it quickly became one of the most popular coding learning apps available.